Saturday 20 September 2014

Open Studios Weekends

Just spent a fascinating afternoon looking round some Wivenhoe Artists Studios. Such a wide range of creativity & many within just a short walk from one another.

for details click here:  www.colchesteropenstudios.org

Thursday 18 September 2014

Hildegarde von Bingen

fascinating to celebrate the life of Hildegarde ... looking at some of her visionary paintings, and remembering what a powerful influence she had as an Abbess, and yet pondering her wish to become like a feather on the breath of God.


www.janetdriver.co.uk : let me be like a feather on the breath of God


 When painting this, I interpreted Hildegarde's 'feather' in terms of becoming as light as a feather, letting go of fears & worries that can weigh me down, and trusting to the life giving breath of God to carry us where he wills... something I often wish for, especially when feeling far too heavily weighed down !   

Yesterday someone sent me this link to a sonnet written about Hildegarde, which gives an added slant to this image ... interpreting it as a feather floating on the playfulness of God:  

  http://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/hildegard-of-bingen-a-sonnet-2/








Thursday 11 September 2014

12th & 13th September: Wivenhoe : Art in the Church

Come & see a wide variety of paintings by local artists.



This morning I took down three of my most recent oil paintings for this exhibition... My painting of the Houses of Parliament was naturally inspired by Monet... though I often pushed a pram along by the Thames, seeing this famous view when we lived in Lambeth.  So I have painted three H of P sunsets, each one with a different effect. The cliffs above are near Linton: again filled with the warmth of evening light. I am always attracted by the light at dawn or sunset shining through a sea mist.

If you visit the exhibition you may also find my painting of the River Colne transformed at Sunset, which is one of four paintings inspired by the amazing effect of sunlight shining though the evening mist, transforming the whole stretch of riverbank. I remember how the golden light changed to deeper orange, flooding the water at high tide: swimming in this was unforgettable !

details:    stmaryswivenhoe.org/forthcoming